Tessellate
by operation
Summary: He promised freedom, she promised care for his child. They never understood it until an outsider acknowledged it. Christopher Johnson/OC.
1. Chapter 1

Italicized words are alien speak

**Preface**

They force her to her knees, black sand coating the wrinkles of her bare skin. She growled, then squeaked in pain as the figure at her back twisted her wrists together with one hand and threaded their thick, grimy fingers through her greasy black hair and jerked her head back. She gglared down her nose at the smirking figure above her. He flexed his fingers a few times before he leaned down closer to her, gripping her chin between two of his fingers and forced her eyes to meet his through the shadows.

"Thought you could steal food eh? Ha, that's so like a filthy whore." His accent made the words warped in her ears.

She jerked again and spit in his eyes. He shot up, back ram rod straight as he wiped her saliva from his eyes. "Fuck you." She growled out, jerking again but it was no use.

Polweepkwa and human prostitutes walked past the thin alleyway just behind them, but none noticed the perverse actions going on just in front of them. Even if they did notice, like anyone would do anything. The Polweepkwa avoided the male humans that lived in District 9 at all costs and the prostitutes, both male and female belonged to the men so there was nothing they could do in the first place.

The man laughed, low and dark. "You're a fighter, I like that."

She tensed up for the first time when she heard the zipper and button coming apart. The man behind her jerked her head back just a little, warning her to comply and open her mouth, which she did and took him with tears staining her cheeks. She knew not to bite down on the offending appendage, that would just mean death. She kept her lips over her teeth, sobbing inwardly and just shivering outwardly while he used her, grunting softly.

After a few moments she felt something spray across her and his tool leave her mouth. She blinked through whatever was across her face and saw the outline of a Polweepka hovering behind her assaulter. The man behind her let go and scrambled from the alleyway, knocking over a few Polweepkwa but jumped right back up and kept running. Her captor fell to their knees and his face landed beside her bruised knees, blood dripping from the deep holes in his neck.

The Polweepkwa crouched in front of her, examining her with intelligent blue eyes. "_Come,_" they stood, alien speak understandable to her ears.

But she stayed where she was, glaring at them through the darkness. "And why the hell should I do that?"

They stared down at her, eyes glowing as they held out their claws to her. "_I can give you your freedom back._"

Her eyes sparkled at that and she reached up, never even flinching as their incredibly sharp claws easily cut through the sensitive flesh of her palm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Christopher**

A dream…

Christopher had not had one of those in a long time.

He had not had a good one since his mother had passed when he was 10. That was fifteen years ago, since then there were only nightmares. Flashes of his mother, choking on her own blood, arms torn from her body, her intestines of her chest splayed across the wall of their shack he still lived in. No, this dream was an actual dream, a wonderful, beautiful dream. He did not really understand what it was about but he remembered what was going on. There were shapes dancing around him, like the stars on his son's holoformer, and then there was the pale surface flush against his exoskeleton. It had been so soft, he could almost feel it right now, drifting in and out of R.E.M sleep on his rag nest.

His eyes flickered open and closed, the light blue iris' reflecting the holes in his shacks roof. He went to roll onto his left side, hearing his young ones clicks of dreaming in his own nest, but found he could not. His eyes shot open and then he twisted, sliding back on his clawed feet, crouched so low he was almost sitting on the floor. He relaxed when he saw the raven haired beauty on his nest, her long fingers searching for his heatless body. Her eyes flickered open, the bright green irises darting towards his presence. He stood straight , staring down at her as she stretched out on the bedding, tucking her head into her elbow crease.

"You ok Chris?" her husky voice drew out.

He looked around the shack, the tentacles across his mouth waving slightly. "_Why are you not in your own bed?_" he asked.

She looked up. "Well I uh…this morning there were these guys banging around outside. I didn't feel safe so I came in here."

He understood her scarcity. Most of the women, both human and Polweepkwa, were usually bold and stood against the human men that wandered around District 9 at night, but she was no such thing. The only time she became bold was when she was with him or with his son. In the shack she was co dependant and attached to him at the hip. She sat up a little and rubbed her eyes, the thin dress she was wearing almost revealing everything to his eyes. He looked away from her, tossing a long jacket at her from a hook by the door.

"_Put this on, Nevaeh._"

She blushed a little and took the coat, wrapping it around herself and standing to her bare feet. She threaded her fingers through her hair and shook the heavy, tangled mass. "You hungry?"

Christopher looked around and then his eyes landed on his son. He looked back over Nevaeh. "_Oliver will be hungry when he awakens so you and I can go get food now. I do not feel comfortable letting you go out there alone._"

She smiled softly and nodded. The only reasons they did not bother either one of them when they went out was because the Polweepkwa respected him, he was the son of their previous leader, the one that had gotten them stuck here granted, but leader none the less, and he made sure to keep the Nigerians from bothering his small family by promising them alien weaponry without having to deal with moronic Polweepkwa that were begging for cat food.

They stepped out into the moist morning air, Nevaeh moving closer to Christopher and really invading his space, but he did not mind at this point. Over the past three years he had truly grown used to her clinging to him. He had saved her one night many years ago, granted it was in the middle of her assault, but from the medical exam he had performed on her (at her consent) he had found he saved that one piece of innocence human females treasured most. He was happy he could save her, keep her intact. He was sure if he had gotten there ten minutes later she would have been lost to any help he or anyone else could provide.

He tried to keep her from grabbing onto his claws, she had so many scars across her palm as it was, but she forced him into the nervous twitch and he sighed, walking with her. Christopher tensed when he saw his new partner, Abiodun, walking towards them. The shredded remains of his old clothes stuck to his body between his defensive spikes, making it look as though it were his shell that were spotted that way.

"_What are you doing Christopher?_" he asked, standing in his and Nevaeh's path.

Christopher glared, moving in front of Nevaeh. "_We are getting food for my son. Now be on your way Abiodun._" Christopher spoke in a warning tone.

The fellow Polweepkwa raised his claws in defense, clicking as he walked away but what he was saying made no sense so he paid no attention to it. He took Nevaeh's sensitive hadn't once more and they started walking. Getting food without a problem was quite easy for them now, seeing as the matriarch of their million plus member colony was buying food and dispensing it to those that cannot walk that far and for those like Christopher and Nevaeh, those who were pretty much hiding from the Nigerian mafia. Christopher may have Nevaeh safe, but she still had those fears and since they had a close bond now Christopher wanted to keep her happy and comfortable.

They stepped into the rather large shack pressed against the barbed wire fence a mile from their home. There were three other colony members, al huddled around one cow flank, watching as the matriarchs son sliced off thin strips and passed them off to one Polweepkwa at a time. Christopher steered Nevaeh towards where the ancient female sat, sliding cans of cat food into a large bins se pushed into an old rotting book shelf. She looked up when they were close enough and smiled in a way, plucking six cans of cat food and a few cans of human food from a special bin and dropping them into a thick cloth bag alongside a few bottle of water.

"Thank you Rashidi." Nevaeh nodded, a sign of respect to the old matriarch.

"_It is the least I can do for you and Christopher. And young Oliver, make sure he gets his full and do not worry about running out of food, I can always get someone to drop off some more food for you._"

Nevaeh smiled wider. "Thank you again," she turned around, tugging on Christopher's arm. "Come on, lets get back before Oliver wakes up."

Christopher nodded and they left the shack, Nevaeh groaning and raising a hand when the sun assaulted their eyes. Christopher's eyes adjusted rapidly, so he simply chuckled in that way of his, causing Nevaeh to glare at him. He clicked at her in reply and she just rolled her bright eyes, tugging him forward. Polweepkwan had a highly adjustable body, which was how they had survived on this planet for so long in this trash heap. Christopher paused, his small families shack in sight, and looked right, eyeing the small, thin planks of wood lined against the back of an abandoned shack. He looked down, clicking his mandibles then decided against it and followed Nevaeh once more, who had stopped to watch him with worried eyes.

"You ok Chris?" she asked, her voice soft.

He nodded, knowing she wasn't fully convinced, but she didn't press the matter any further and just opened the door for him. She flicked the lock down when the door was shut tightly behind them and set the heavy bag on their weak table. She pulled the only plate they owned down from a crooked shelf and began to pour out the correct portions for Oliver onto the old Toy Story plate. She poured a small amount of water into the cut off bottom of a water bottle before she left the room to get Oliver. Christopher sat still for a moment, in the dark of a corner with his arms crossed over his chest. He did not want to admit it but he loved having Nevaeh here. At first he had wanted to get her away from his home, his son and their work that lay under the shack. But when he woke and noticed she had somehow gotten Oliver to eat the food he should to keep healthy he knew she had to be kept. But he hated thinking about her that way, like she was a watch dog for his son.

"Chris you gonna eat to?"

He looked up and locked eyes with her, barely noticing his sons eyes on him. "_I must leave in a few moments to continue my searching._"

Her eyes sparkled and she ushered Oliver into the one chair they had. "Can I go with you today?"

"_No, I cannot risk that._"

"It wouldn't be you risking anything Chris, it would be me and I am fin-"

He took a step forward, his clawed toes coming down hard on the panel he kept closed in the morning. "_No, I did not rescue you so you could throw it away to follow me into a trash heap Nevaeh. Stay here with Oliver and work on the command module please._"

She stared at him for a moment then swallowed hard. "Fine, but next time I go with you."

He stared at her this time. "_Fine._"

She always got her way at some point.


	3. Chapter 3

_Yay I got a review! I'm surprised my Walking Dead story doesn't have one yet. Anyway, thank you for the review PunkPrincess137, it really inspired me to write some more, had some ideas popping up into my head immediately._

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**Nevaeh**

She watched Christopher leave the shack with hollow eyes, wishing he would let her go with him. He never let her go, saying that she would just get herself caught by that gang again…she shivered and turned to Oliver, who was still slurping up his cat food and fresh water. She smiled and walked around the table to Oliver and crouched down, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. He looked up at her and smiled before he went back to calmly eating his breakfast. The only way she could tell he was smiling was because of the way his eyes scrunched up at the corners. She stood and smiled down at him before she shrugged out of her coat and tossed it onto one of the rotting shelves and skipped to the back room, crouching back down to a trash bag hidden in the corner and started to dig through it. She pulled out her standard worn jean capris and a gray tank top. She smiled when she found the black, satin bra. She had found it while going through a woman's trash when she had snuck out of District 9 one night. She had wanted to go back to her home, see if they would accept her, but had changed her mind when she thought of the skeletal (even for one of the Polweepkwa)Oliver back in the alien holding ground and turned right back around. Why she had been going through the trash she never really figured it out, just guessed she had gotten so use to digging in trash for everything. She had been living in District 9 for too long.

"_I go watch now?_"

She looked over a bare shoulder at Oliver, who was unaffected by her naked form. It was something he had gotten used to. "Sure sweetheart, I'll let you know when I'm done ok?"

He nodded and hopped (literally) out of the room. Nevaeh smiled and finished getting dressed. She glared at the handless brush that sat on her rag bed, groaning when she gave in and marched over to it, glaring as she brought it up to her hair. She wanted to scream, blaming herself because she needed to get a regular hair brushing schedule down. That sounded really stupid to her ears and she laughed around a groan, jerking the soft bristles through her tangled curls. She didn't brush her hair regularly because of how much she kept it in a bun no matter what she did. She dropped the brush to the ground when she was done and ran her fingers through the now soft locks gingerly, sighing and closing her eyes. She made no move to get away from the claws that nudged her hand out of the way, just let him rake them through her hair once, twice. When he stopped she turned to him, smiling a little, but it dropped when she saw Abiodun who was clawing at their small table.

"I don't like him here," she whispered, moving closer to Christopher.

He stared down at her for a moment. "_Im sorry about that, but I decided to bring Oliver along with us."_

Her eyes shot up to meet his, hurt evident. "And you're not gonna bring me?"

He sighed."_I am sorry, but no I am not bringing you because of the gangs. They are riled up today._"

She stepped back from him, rubbing her left arm. "Go," she whispered.

He stared at her for a moment, knowing she was hurt, and nodded. "_I am sorry, Nevaeh._"

She looked down and away from him, taking another step back. "Just go," she whispered again, turning her back on him.

She didn't watch him leave, but she did wish she would have stopped him when she watched the door shut. She stared at the floor for a moment before she sighed and walked over to the door, pressing against it a little before she flicked the lock down. She walked around the table and crouched down, threading her long fingers through the small handle and jerking up the panel. Dust floated down into the clean, silver compartment and Nevaeh coughed, hopping down into the command module. She placed her hands on her hips and stared around the compartment, wondering if there was anything left to do in here. She moved around and sat in the command seat, curling her legs up to her chest as she stared into the goo things Oliver liked to stick his arms in.

Christopher had hurt her feelings. She depended on him for comfort and protection, she thought he would never leave her behind, but that's exactly what he was doing right now. He wouldn't take her no matter how much she begged, but he would take Oliver who never wanted to leave the safety of his home. She knew Oliver was scared of leaving his home, he had seen so many horrible things when he was out in the outside world.

"He doesn't trust me out there…" she whispered into her knees, a tear leaking out onto her cheek.

**000000**

She woke up with a claw touching her shoulder. She jerked and her eyes snapped open, finding his glowing at her through the dark. She glared and rolled over on her bed, facing the wall and inhaling the scent and taste of mold.

"_I believe I said I was sorry when I left_," he whispered to her from the darkness.

She curled in further on herself and whimpered into the darkness. "You said you wanted to always keep me happy Christopher. Go to bed."

Their home was silent besides Oliver's sleeping clicks, until Christopher sighed and moved over to his own rag bed. Nevaeh didn't want to be mean to Christopher, but he had hurt her feelings. She was sensitive when it came to him, anyone else she would certaintly have remained mad and not have felt one ounce of sorry but he had sheltered her. He had kept he safe and made sure she wasn't harmed even if it was when Oliver was a little mouthy, which rarely happened.

She sniffed a little and sat up, unable to see in the darkness, but knowing where his bed is she had no trouble crawling towards it. She could feel faint scrapes forming on her knees but she didn't care, she wanted to get on his bed and feel safe. She pressed herself against his back, whimpering against his exoskeleton. He sighed in his way and rolled over, draping an arm over her.

"_I am sorry, Nevaeh._"

She pressed her face more against his chest. "I know, Chris."


	4. Chapter 4

_I am so fucking sorry it took me so long to update! My internet got shut off for awhile and we didn't have the money to reconnect it until yesterday afternoon. I am going to try and get a few chapters out today, lets hope my computer works with me._

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**Nevaeh**

"Christopher!" Nevaeh hissed through the darkness of the house.

She had lived here for years now, had memorized every detail of the small house and normally she could find her way through the darkness. She could usually find him and reach his bed even if she had to get up to get a drink of water but right now, as terrified as she was, she had no clue where she was and she was paralyzed beside the front door. It was cracked open slightly and Nevaeh could hear the cries of the voices outside, she could hear their laughing and their mocking, their threats when they saw her hair shining in the dim light of the candle she had held. She had extinguished it the moment she heard her name slip past their lips.

"Christopher!" she hissed again.

She was having flashes of being back there, in those shacks, beneath those men, beneath the Polweepkwa that dared ask for a human whore. Because that was all that she was, a whore, to anyone in District 9. But she was not a whore to Christopher or his son or the Matriarch. To Christopher…she wasn't sure what she was. To his son she was his mother. To the Matriarch she was a daughter.

"Christopher please!" she hissed, her slim body beginning to shake.

"_I am here._"

Nevaeh fell against him when she felt his presence beside her. She let out a small sob as he shut the door, pressing his back to it. She slid to the ground with him, between his legs and clung to him, not disgusted at all by his unused feelers at the bottom of his chest cavity. They came out and poked at her, testing her to in curiosity, as though they were separate beings. She whimpered when his claws hand came down on her shoulder, her eyes squeezing shut so tightly it made the nerves running through her temples jump.

"_It's just me, Nevaeh,_" Christopher whispered to her.

Right, it was just Christopher. It was him holding her, him protecting her from those men. She reached up and held onto his arm, her small body still shaking. She took in a deep breath through her nose and breathed out slowly through her mouth. She gave his arm a squeeze and rested her head against his chest, listening to his slow, thumping heart beat. She reached up and ran her fingers against his exoskeleton, feeling the grooves and deep scars along it. This calmed her, studying him, even in the dark. There was always something new for her to find, all over him. There were some places he didn't let her go, some places he seemed afraid to let her go.

Her heart rate was slowing, but her eyes were still flickering through the darkness. She was scared, she was always scared. "I'm sorry Christopher," she muttered, holding onto him tightly.

He clicked, the side of his arm rubbing against her. "_It is fine Nevaeh, what happened?_"

She sat up slightly. "I was looking for something to drink and the door was open. I don't know why it was, but…they saw me Christopher," she whimpered. "They saw me and said they'd come for me. "I'm afraid…I'm afraid that I'm never going to be able to get over this fear Christopher."

He laid his arm across her shoulder and the tendrils of his face brushed against her temple. "You have nothing to fear Nevaeh, I will not let anything happen to you. I thought you would know this by now."

Nevaeh reached up and ran her fingers over the seams of his face. "Christopher I know that, I know you will always protect me. I just…I'm just not the same after that. I used to be strong before they got to me and now…now I'm afraid of everything. Except for you Christopher…I will never be afraid of you."

She leaned her head back against his chest and sighed, closing her eyes. She was so dependent on Christopher now. She didn't think she could function away from him after all of this. She would be worse off, they would probably put her in a mental institution. No one would be able to put up with her, she wondered how he put up with her the way he did. He simply cared for her when she had her panic attacks, he held her when she was like this.

"_Nevaeh you need sleep,_" Christopher muttered in his alien tongue.

Nevaeh snorted and smiled, wobbling to her feet. She wrapped her hand around one of his claws and tugged him up. "Come with me…" she muttered, eyes half lidded.

She knew he could see her just as well as if she was basking in the warm rays of the sun. She knew he could see every curve that she swayed as she moved him around to get to the door. Nevaeh opened the door and peeked outside, unafraid when Christopher was so close, her hand bleeding against his. She knew if she squeezed any tighter her hand would be sliced in two. She was safe with him. There was no one, Polweepkwa or human, outside of their small shack so Nevaeh tugged him forward, out into the moonlight that bathed them completely. Nevaeh smiled up at the moon. She had always loved the moon, but not its darkness. Its darkness always meant something bad for her, but she was safe with Christopher…

She tugged him around to the back of their shack, looking around again before she moved against the fence, keeping her hand against it as they shuffled along. She wanted to take him there, to that place he never got the chance to go near, the one place that he desperately wanted to go but hadn't been near in three years. She felt him tense up through his hand but kept going, walking around the small, makeshift crosses that lined up for three rows from the fence. There were twenty three crosses, ten in two rows, three in the final. Second row, eighth cross her name was scratched haphazardly into it by Nevaeh's own hand. Nevaeh squatted down, running her fingers over the name and smiling up at Christopher.

"I come here ever morning, when _they're_ still asleep," she looked back down at the cross. There were dying yellow flowers, which were really just weeds that had started growing against the fence. "I talk to her, of course she never answers back."

Christopher crouched down beside her, strange blue eyes sad. "_It had been fifteen years_…" he whispered. "_Fiel_…" he dug a claw through the e. "_How did you know her name_?"

Nevaeh shrugged. "Matriarch told me. She said she was smart."

"_My mother was a genius. Her and my father were royalty, you know," _Christopher looked over at Nevaeh.

She nodded. "You told me it was your father that got you all stuck here."

Christopher nodded. "_We ended up here by accident, I do not remember what the problem was. He got delirious from lack of food after a few days and pressed the wrong commands in. The command module fell here and when they learned that District 9 was to be built here they immediately claimed the spot as their own._"

Nevaeh chuckled. "Take a page Christopher. You need more rest, I really think you should stay in tomorrow and rest."

He shook his head. "_You know I cannot do that._"

Nevaeh rolled her eyes and then grinned, pushing herself forward, tackling him into the dirt. "I will lay on you until tomorrow night."

He snorted but made no move to push her away. "_I highly doubt that._"

"Try me," she giggled, resting her head on his chest.

"_What the hell…_"

Nevaeh and Christopher jumped apart, Nevaeh standing and pressing her back against the fence while Christopher stood in front of her, one arm out in front of her. "_Abiodun…what are you doing here?_" her growled, backing closer to Nevaeh.

The Polweepkwa in front of him looked around Christopher, eyeing Nevaeh's raggedy dress, accessing the way they had been laying on top of each other. He clicked and looked back at Christopher. "_I came to visit Calmillo's grave and it seems like I found you two doing something disgusting."_

Christopher growled. "_Mind your own business, Abiodun."_

"_You two need to be more discrete if you plan on fucking. Don't do it around the graves, disrespects the dead,"_ Abiodun turned around and started around the corner of the shack beside them, but not before looking over at them with hooded eyes.

Christopher sighed, looking back at Nevaeh, who was picking at her nails. "I'm sorry Christopher."

He shook his head and looked over at his mothers grave before he draped his arm over her shoulders and steered her back towards their small home. "_I do not care what they think, we were doing nothing wrong. Though I can understand him believing it was something more."_

Nevaeh's heart twisted for some reason, huddling closer into his side. "Still sorry about it."

Christopher sighed and opened the door to their shack, letting her slide inside before he checked the area for any eyes. Nothing. He entered their shack, and again Nevaeh was bathed in darkness. She shuffled in the darkness, waiting for help to their room. She jumped as his claws wrapped around her upper arm and gentle tugged her back against his side. She whimpered slightly and followed beside him, stumbling slightly against the rise in the floor to their room.

"C-Can I sleep with you?" Nevaeh whimpered, closing her eyes when she heard the roar of an engine and the whoops of gang members riding by. "I don't want to sleep alone."

"_I will just be in the bed beside you,_" Christopher sighed.

"No," Nevaeh squeaked. "I want to sleep with you."

She heard him sigh through the darkness and he seemed to relent, pulling her into the direction she knew his bed was. Sleeping with him was a relief to her. It meant she didn't have to look through the darkness for him, it meant she was safe all night. It meant she wouldn't have nightmares. She slept the best there, against his back or his side. She knew it made him uncomfortable. He was still new to the whole 'human-touching-him' thing. But it was the only thing that calmed her, the only thing that made her feel safe.

She sighed against his back, curling into her ball and letting her hair cover her face. Safety…it was nice to have that. Especially here, in District 9 where usually the safest place you can be is underground with no one knowing it. Of course. Nevaeh opened her eyes, faintly seeing the outline of the seam in his back. She wondered what that Abiodun was really doing over near those graves. He never visited them. Was he spying on Nevaeh and Christopher? It only seemed logical. He was always trying to get close to Nevaeh, always trying to talk to her and she always brushed him off with a cold shoulder or ran away from him. He scared her. She didn't like the way he watched her work around the house when he waited on Christopher knew that to, knew she hated him but he kept him around. Christopher had said Abiodun was expendable, he could be sacrificed if need be.

What did that mean for her? Did he only keep her around to keep up with his son, make sure he hate and slept properly? Did he keep her around because he felt she was an obligation, not because she was a friend, or partner? What did that mean for her stay here? Would he leave her behind, sacrifice her, if need be?

**0000**

"Sooo why can't I go out today?" Nevaeh cocked a hip and crossed her arms.

Christopher hesitated by the doorway, looking between Nevaeh and Abiodun, who looked as though he was enjoying the show in front of him. Christopher looked down right terrified of the woman in front of him. She growled and snarled when Christopher said that she couldn't go with them. He needed to be terrified of her, she might just kill him today. She wanted to go, she had wanted to go on every trip since last year and he just wouldn't. He always came up with some kind of excuse.

Christopher looked up at her. "_You just cannot._"

Nevaeh snarled. "That's not fair Christopher!"

Abiodun clicked. "_Take care of the child Christopher, let her come with us._"

Christopher glared over at Abiodun and Nevaeh looked on, realizing something. "What's going on Christopher?"

He looked up to her, down at Oliver, then back to her before he sighed. "_MNU are supposed ot be coming through, I need someone to stay here and watch the house. If they come inside, and they would if no one was here, they would surely find the module. I need you here to make sure they do not come in. Oliver will stay here as well, it will just be Abiodun and I for today._"

Nevaeh swallowed and looked down for a moment before she looked up at Christopher. She folded her hands in front of herself and nodded. "Fine, fine I'll stay. Think I can get over to the matriarchs and get something new to wear?"

"_Why would you dress up for them?_" Christopher asked, eyes narrowing.

She wanted to chuckle. "Because I don't want them to see my breasts dear," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Christopher and Abiodun tensed up at her words and she simply turned around and got the long coat from the hook in their bedroom doorway. It may have been hot as fuck outside but she didn't want them to see anything. She tied up the sash and slipped a cap onto Oliver's head.

"How bout you come with me dear?" she smiled down at the young one.

He clicked up at her. "_Sure!_"

Nevaeh smiled up at Christopher. "So you two go have fun playing in the trash and I'll go find clothes."

Christopher said nothing as they passed, but before the door shut behind Nevaeh and Oliver she heard Abiodun mutter. "_She's fucking crazy._"


	5. Chapter 5

"_Why do you need clothes young one?_"

Nevaeh looked over at the Matriarch as she flicked the lock to her large shack over, successfully locking the door. She sighed and watched young Oliver hopping around the shack, playing with the actual toys scat. She smiled when he held up the bright red fire truck to her.

"Christopher said that MNU agents would be coming through the compound soon, he didn't know when."

"_And how would he know this? Does he have a friend working inside?_" the Matriarch hobbled her way over to her nest and sank down, her old body cracking under the strain.

Nevaeh moved over at sat beside her, on the floor, and began to draw circles in the dirt. "Yeah, I think her name is Viria or something like that. He never told me how he found that out."

The Matriarch looked over at her, blue eyes matching Christopher's, and she sighed. "_Well I guess I will need to find you something suitable for those fiends. Go look in the boudoir in the spare room and pick out something that will fit you. I must go outside I guess and tend to the ones looking for food. No one will come inside, young one why don't you keep guard for her?"_

Oliver clicked over at the Matriarch and hopped up, holding the bright red fire truck in his hand. "_Can I still play with this un?_"

The Matriarch smiled and pushed herself back up, groaning lowly as Nevaeh stood as well, holding her hands out in case the old Polweepkwa needed help. The Matriarch waved her claws at the young woman. "_I was a fool to sit down._"

Nevaeh chuckled. "I guess I'll go change now."

The Matriarch nodded and started hobbling over towards the door. Nevaeh dug her fingers into door of the hidden room and opened it, leaving it cracked slightly. She walked over to the boudoir and pulled the top drawer open, her long fingers skimming through the thin articles of clothing. They were all so tiny, child's clothing. She slid the drawer closed and crouched down, digging through the bottom drawer. She hummed as she held up a few pieces of dirty clothing, a few tank tops and shorts she didn't think were available in District 9. She grabbed a dirty stained white tank top and a pair of ripped up jeans, sighing as she stood. She wandered if she could clean herself up enough to get into the city and get clothes. The Matriarch would let her borrow some money. Nevaeh immediately shook the thought off. She wasn't allowed such luxuries, she could never just walk through the town the way she was used to, she only went out into the city at night, when there were plenty of hiding places, and that was very rare.

She shimmied out of the coat, letting it hit the floor heavily before she shrugged out of the ripped shirt she had been wearing. She had clothes at home, but they were all ripped and stunk too bad for it to be acceptable for the MNU's assessment of the living conditions. If she smelt bad or looked bad she knew they would take her out of here, away from Christopher and Oliver and try to bring her back into their city. She could not have that. She nudged her jeans over the swells in her hips and kicked them to one corner, slipping the tank top over her head. She tucked her arm under her hair and lifted the heavy mass, pulling it out of the tank top and letting it fall against her back as she tugged on the new-ish pair of jeans. She hated wearing clothes like this, that actually covered her in every way. She hated jeans because she couldn't really run too good in them if need be.

"_Is Nevaeh in there?"_

Nevaeh turned at the sound of Christopher's voice, peeking through the slim crack she had left and saw him standing over Oliver. His eyes were strange for a Polweepkwa, seeing as most of their eyes consisted of dirt brown or that familiar amber color. His were bright blue, full of intelligence and more emotion than she used to give the Polweepkwa for. Of course before Christopher saved her and took her in she had only thought of the Polweepkwa as disgusting vermin. She had only been abused by them, never cared for by one. She remembered when he found her, the way he looked in the moonlight…for a moment she thought she had fallen in love but that was ridiculous. She was not racist against aliens but she didn't think they should mix in that way. She didn't think they could. Christopher was her protector, her guardian, nothing more.

"Yeah I'm in here Christopher," she waved him over, cracking the door again when he was inside the small room with her. "I thought you would be scavenging longer," she muttered, picking up her clothes from the floor.

He kept to a corner, glancing at the cracked door warily. "_We ran into some trouble…"_

Nevaeh looked over at him, cocking her head to one side. "What kind of trouble?"

He shook his head and began to pace, a habit that annoyed Nevaeh. "_Humans from the city, trying to become a part of the Nigerian gang in District 9. At least the elder members of the gang are respectful for their future customers and pawns, these new comers are just slaughtering without a care. I saw them go for a child of their own today…"_

Her eyes widened. "You're not serious are you?"

He stopped and side, running his claws over his head. "_I'm afraid that I am serious. They decapitated the child in cold blood. That is why I am back early, and MNU are indeed coming into the District. They already have agents making their rounds."_

Nevaeh swallowed thickly and then nodded. "Well then we need to get home now don't we?"

He nodded and followed her out of the room, motioning for Oliver to follow behind them as they left the shack. The Matriarch looked up from a pair of MNU agents and their body guards that were questioning her. Nevaeh smiled gently and took Oliver by his claws, tugging him when he stopped to stare at one agent with a bad mustache. The agent watched Nevaeh walk and she felt uncomfortable, moving closer to Christopher as they started towards the house.

"_What is wrong?_"

Nevaeh shook her head and sped up her walking, wanting to get inside as quickly as possible. "I just don't like humans. Their evil."

"_You are human Nevaeh,_" Christopher reminded her, keeping pace easily.

Oliver hopped in front of them, clicking his tendrils around in curiosity. Nevaeh smiled over at Christopher and shrugged. "I guess I just feel more comfortable around Polweepkwa now, well certain ones anyway," she narrowed her eyes at Abiodun who was wandering around near the graves.

He looked up when he saw them walking by and narrowed his muddy eyes, stalking forward. "_Your fault,_" he growled at Nevaeh.

She stopped at Christopher's side, feeling him coming to her side gently. "What the hell do you mean my fault?"

He grabbed onto her elbow and spun her away from Christopher, throwing her towards the graves. She hit the ground with her knees and screamed in pain, rocking onto her side and looking for Christopher. He was busy slinging Abiodun into the side of a makeshift wall. The wall collapsed with him on top of it, successfully knocking the violent Polweepkwa unconscious. Christopher panted, claws curled at his sides as Oliver hurried to her side. She panted as she pushed herself up into a seated position, staring up at Christopher through her bangs. He hopped in one leap to her side and helped her to her feet, running a clawed hand down one arm, barely touching the red scrapes. She pushed him off a little, looking back at what Abiodun had been looking at. Her eyes widened and she stumbled towards the grave, using one as support and slumped unceremoniously to her knees, tears springing to her eyes.

"Mother…"

She looked up at Christopher when tugged on his arm, shaking her head no when he tried to go near it. He growled and jerked his arm out of her grasp, walking down the chain link towards their home. She pushed herself up and grabbed onto her bag, then Oliver, and started jogging towards him. She didn't want to be alone. She would come back and fix the grave tonight, when it was safe. She shut the door silently behind them, wiping the tears from her eyes as Christopher stood by the table, claws curled into a fist against the cracked wood.

"_Who could have done such a thing,_" he growled, his back to her and his head down.

Nevaeh whimpered and sniffed. "I-I don't know Christopher…"

He looked back at her with livid blue eyes, which dulled in color when he saw her sniffling in against the door. He turned around fully and stepped towards her, pushing back a strand of hair from her lips and pulled her into a hug while she sobbed into his chest. His feelers came from his chest cavity again and felt her, feeling the sorrow and the blood pulsing beneath her pale skin. She felt horrible about this, she could only imagine how Christopher felt. That was his mother's grave, that was his world for so long and how someone could desecrate it in that way is just disgusting.

"Christopher they did that to her grave, who th- I mean why would they do such a thing?!" she cried, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

He sighed against her hair. "_I do not know Nevaeh, but we need to…we need to fix it."_

She nodded and leaned back, wiping at her eyes but it was useless, the tears kept coming. "I'll do it tonight, do you want to help?"

He nodded and pressed his forehead against her, eyes closed as she stared at him with wide eyes. He had hugged her and held her while she slept, let her sleep against his back but he had never gotten so close to her face before. She swallowed and tilted her chin up, pressing her lips against his forehead. He clicked against her shoulder and his shoulders shook. Of course he was sad, crying, but he wouldn't let her see his face. This was his mothers grave, this was not something so easy to sweep under the rug.

"It'll be ok Chris…"

_I know its short, I know its not really clear but I'm working on this big chapter for when we introduce the MNU and I want the grave to be a part of it._


End file.
